Everyone was a winner when St Kieran’s College met Offaly Schools in the Leinster Senior ‘A’ Schools’ Hurling final in Kilkenny on Saturday.
It seems like a contradiction but the explanation puts the situation into perspective.
Offaly Schools, an amalgamation of players from several midland seats of education became Leinster Champions with a battling victory over our famed Kilkenny hurling nursery.
It was a memorable victory for the Offaly boys but the catch is that this is as far as the mid-landers can progress because its team is a mix of players from several schools.
Offaly would naturally have been delighted to carry on for a shot at an All-Ireland crown but on the plus side a Leinster crown represents progress for The Faithful.
Meanwhile the Kilkenny Saints had already qualified for the final stages of the competition and can now look forward to the quarter-final in two weeks.
The outcome is dictated by the rules of the GAA competition, rules that some believe should be reviewed.
So, St Kieran’s College can still win an All-Ireland title in a year when they have missed out on Leinster success.
